Dogon Seated Male Ancestor Figure with Internal Sacred Stone

Pointy-hatted figure in wavy-lined robes, wearing its green patina like velvet.

This seated male ancestor figure with internal sacred stone is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Dogon figures are widely understood to relate to ancestors and to the spiritual life of the community, though scholars note that meanings vary between villages and sculptors. Elongated body topped with a small peak, a bearded-looking chin and a long nose. Wavy and zigzag lines are incised down the front, with mottled green and brown corrosion across the surface. Little feet flare at the base. It is 1 inches wide, 2 deep and 4 high.

Formal in every line and slightly weathered at the edges.